Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids with several benefits over the older traditional opiates and opioids; morphine, diacetylmorphine(heroin) and codeine. It was introduced to the pharmaceutical market as Eukodal or Eucodal and Dinarkon. Its chemical name is derived from codeine - the chemical structures are very similar, differing only in that the hydroxyl group of codeine has been oxidized to a carbonyl group (as in ketones), hence the -one suffix, the 7,8-dihydro-feature (codeine has a double-bond between those two carbons), and the hydroxyl group at carbon-14 (codeine has just a hydrogen in its place), hence oxycodone.
Oxycodone is commercially made from thebaine, an opiate alkaloid and minor component of opium.

Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids with several benefits over the older traditional opiates and opioids; morphine, diacetylmorphine(heroin) and codeine.

Oxycodone can be administered orally, intranasally, via intravenous/intramuscular/subcutaneous injection, by vapourizing/smoking or rectally. The bioavailability of oral administration averages 60-87%, with rectal administration yielding the same results. Injecting oxycodone will result in a stronger effect and quicker onset.
Oxycodone tablets, oxycodone with acetaminophen (paracetamol), are routinely prescribed for post-operative pain control. Tablets are available with 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 or 15 mg of oxycodone and varying amounts of acetaminophen. Oxycodone is also used in treatment of moderate to severe chronic pain. Both immediate-release and sustained-release oxycodone are now available (OxyNorm and OxyContin in the UK). There are no comparative trials showing that oxycodone is more effective than any other opioid. In palliative care, morphine remains the gold standard. However, it can be useful as an alternative opioid if a patient has troublesome adverse effects with morphine.

The most commonly reported effects include constipation, euphoria, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, lightheadedness, headache, dry mouth, pruritus, and diaphoresis. It has also claimed to cause dimness in vision due to miosis. Some patients have also experienced loss of appetite, nervousness, anxiety, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dyspnea, and hiccups, although these symptoms appear in less than 5% of patients taking oxycodone. Rarely, the drug can cause impotence, enlarged prostate gland, and decreased testosterone secretion.

Oxycodone is a full opioid agonist and is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses. The principal therapeutic action of Oxycodone is analgesia. Like all full opioid agonists, there is no ceiling effect for analgesia with Oxycodon